Writing Tip of the Week

Query Letters

I don’t write query letters for my works anymore. I self-publish, but I have written them in the past and I do write them for other authors today. If you’re determined to pursue this route with your literary work, make sure your letter is, well, letter perfect.

One. It’s a business letter. Keep the tone friendly, but never cross the line into being clever, cute, condescending or anything that isn’t business. Use the standard business letter format you learned in high school.

Do, however, make sure your opening sentence is a grabber – something that grabs attention and demands that the reader read on.

Two. Be concise. Get to the point on each topic in the letter. Avoid overwriting. The recipient is busy reading other query letters and proposals. Don’t bog down the reader with your heavy prose. It’s a letter, not War and Peace.

Three. Don’t “be” clever or cute with GRAPHIC STYLE Stick with basic caps and lower case. Use bold, italic or quotation marks sparingly if at all and only when absolutely necessary.

Four. Don’t be clever or cute with your grammar, either. For example, don’t insert “ha ha” if you think you’ve scored a point with a bit of humor. Don’t insert graphics unless they are essential – absolutely essential.

Five.

Describe the work in brief. A single paragraph should be enough. If you think you need more, think again. Tell why your work is necessary. Tell in what ways the work is different from other books out there and why this is important. Include the estimated word count. It’s okay to use a working title, just make sure you note that fact. How I Did It (working title) by Dan Baldwin…. Note if photographs or illustrations will be needed and how they will be provided.

Six. Summarize why you (or you and your co-author) are best suited to write the book. “Just the facts, ma’am.” No bragging. Include experience, background, awards and honors where appropriate, and any other qualifications. If you think you need more, add that as a separate document.

Seven. Close the letter in a businesslike manner. “Thank you for your consideration” or something along those lines will do.

A query letter isn’t hard to write, but you need to invest the time to make sure it’s structured properly and written in an engrossing, yet businesslike manner.

Eight. Play the hurry-up-and-wait game. And the best way to play that game is to get writing on something new.

?Recommended Reading: How To Write A Book Proposal by Michael Larsen, AAR

Quote of the Week: “When you read a classic, you do not see more in the book that you did before; you see more in you than there was before.” Clifton Fadiman

?Shameless Self Promotion:

?www.fourknightspress.com?www.danbaldwin.com

“Y Gwir yn erbyn y byd”

A Four Knights Press Production

? Dan Baldwin 2021

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